Pollution of environments inhabited by human, animal or plant life is of grave and growing public concern. The discharge of inorganic and organic (such as carbon) particles and sulphur and carbon gases into the atmosphere from heat, power, vehicular and waste disposal combustion processes and other industrial processes is a prime example of pollution upon which a good deal of this concern is focused. Furthermore disagreeable odors and harmful bacteria which pollute the air are also of concern. In addition to man made polluted environments, attention has also been focused upon air containing natural elements which are undesirable to at least some groups of people, such as those allergic to pollen from certain plants.
Heretofore purification apparatus and methods intended to provide clean, pure and germ-free air environments have been beset with drawbacks.
For example, dry electrostatic precipitators and cyclone separators have not been, in general, satisfactory in removing solid and gaseous contaminants from gaseous streams. Higher chimney structures have also been found to be unsatisfactory not only because of increased costs, but because of the contaminants which are still ultimately discharged into the atmosphere. In addition, while presently available techniques are sometimes effective for removing large or coarse solid particles present in contaminated gaseous streams, no satisfactory means is available for inexpensively and effectively removing small micron and sub-micron sized solid particles. Accordingly, flue streams and other waste gases commonly carry fine injurious solid particles into the atmosphere. Some of the particles such as asbestos are known to cause serious lung disturbances. Others are potentially deleterious not only because of their effect on the human body by themselves but because many of the particles adsorb chemical pollutants and thus are synergistically harmful.